The Seven Stars were founded before the War of the Moon by seven wealthy merchants who plied the northern seas and the Silver Road. When the war began, the Seven Stars (as they were then known, each merchant-lord a “star”) kept clear of the fighting and chose to trade with men and dwarves instead.

After the end of the war, they returned to working on the Silver Road, but it remained a secondary concern to the sea-routes that had been established between most of the coastal kingdoms of Eastern Arunë. While Seven Star ships do not sail as far as Opria or Golnia, they can still be found in the harbors of Tourons and Noranor.

The Compact is younger than the House of the Silver Tree, but also possessed of more vital spirit. Merchant-captains are her driving force, but long ago the Seven Stars decided that the Compact should not simply be a group of like-minded merchants working together. For this reason, they founded a more complex organization, that has methods of self-regulation and justice.

Organization
The Seven Stars have a more complex compact than most of the other elvish merchant organizations for the simple reason that its original founders were strangely rules-minded.

Buying into the Seven Stars requires a substantial commitment on the part of a merchant who wishes to join; having established a small interest of their own, the merchant then pledges all of their resources to the Seven Stars in order to join the compact. Their entire operation comes under Seven Star management and they are promoted to the rank of Captain within the organization. Because entering into the Compact is so burdensome, very few new merchants have joined it since its foundation, leaving most of its original wayhouses and stations.

The lowest ranks of the Seven Stars are hirelings who owe little loyalty beyond their pay. Merchant-Captains command outposts and serve at the pleasure of the Seven Stars and the Mercantile Council.

Captains may be elected to the Mercantile Council upon the death of one of their members, and Courtmasters may be elected to serve on the Seven Stars.

Chain of Command
Merchant-Captains have absolute authority over their own branches of the company (or their own ships, if that is what they captain), but most obey the dictates of the Mercantile Council.

The Council itself is composed of seventeen merchant-captains, elected by their fellows to serve, who serve upon it for life. Above the Council, and advised by it, are the Seven Stars. These seven are given the incomes of the historical seven trade-routes and they oversee all mercantile activity in the system, checking receipts and making certain all flows to the good.

Upon the death of one of the Seven, all merchant-captains are invited to vote for any members of the Council to fill the seat of the dead.